Chewing gum compositions containing erythritol and a moisture binding agent

ABSTRACT

A chewing gum composition with increased stiffness comprising a gum base, erythritol, a moisture binding agent and flavor is disclosed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to chewing gum. More particularly, it relates tochewing gum which contains erythritol and a moisture binder.

In recent years, efforts have been devoted to replace sugar and sugarsyrups normally found in chewing gum with other carbohydrates andnoncarbohydrates. Non-sugar or sugar-free chewing gum, which is growingin popularity, uses sugar alcohols or polyols to replace sugar and sugarsyrups. The most popular polyols are sorbitol, mannitol and xylitol. Newpolyols are being developed using new technology to replace thesepolyols. New polyols have various unique properties which can improvethe taste, texture and shelf life properties of chewing gum forconsumers. The non-sugar polyols have the advantage of not contributingto dental caries of consumers, as well as being able to be consumed bydiabetics.

Many polyols cause gastric distress when consumed in too great ofquantities Therefore it would be desirable to use a non-cariogenicsweetener that did not cause gastric distress. Erythritol does notcontribute to dental caries, does not significantly contribute tocalories and does not cause gastric distress like some other polyols.Thus, this ingredient's use in chewing gum could be a definiteimprovement.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,550 discloses a chewing gum made with a sweeteningagent containing erythritol and a liquid sugar alcohol.

EPO Patent Publication No. 0 009 325 and Japanese Patent Publication No.81-18180 disclose a method of reducing dental caries with a sugarlesschewing gum made with erythritol.

Low calorie sweetening compositions containing meso-erythritol aredisclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,080,916 and No. 4,902,525, EPO PatentPublication No. 0 325 790, and Japanese Patent Publications No.89-225458 and No. 90-104259.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 89-51045 discloses chewing gum made witha melted mixture of meso-erythritol and sugars or sugar alcohols.

EPO Patent Publication No. 0 497 439 discloses a sweetener employing theuse of spray dried erythritol.

EPO Patent Publication No. 0 511 761 discloses a sweetening compositionmade up of erythritol, sorbitol and a glucose oligomer.

PCT Publication No. W093/00828 discloses a stabilized dipeptidesweetening composition which is useful in chewing gum and may containerythritol.

Other patents and publications which discuss erythritol include JapanesePatent Publications No. 92-287658 and No. 92-287659, both published Oct.13, 1992, (sweetening compositions containing meso-erythritol); andEuropean Patent Publication No. 0 530 995, published Mar. 10, 1993(lozenge containing sweetener which is all or partly erythritol ormaltitol).

It has been found, however, that using erythritol in chewing gum oftencauses the gum to be excessively soft, and therefore difficult to form,cut and package. This is especially true as the level of erythritolincreases, and especially when the gum contains more than about 2%moisture. Even though erythritol has a low hygroscopicity, and thereforedoes not cause gum to gain moisture from the atmosphere, the originalsoft nature of the gum at the time of manufacture also makes the gumundesirable later when it is chewed. It would therefore be a benefit tobe able to make chewing gum with erythritol that has increased stiffnessto improve processability, especially a gum composition with a highlevel of erythritol and more than 2% moisture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provided a chewing gumcomposition which contains erythritol and a moisture binding agent. Themoisture binding agent acts to tie up moisture present in the gumcomposition so that the softness imparted by the use of erythritol doesnot cause the gum to be too soft to wrap. In a first aspect, theinvention is a chewing gum composition with increased stiffness toimprove processability comprising gum base in an amount from about 5% toabout 95% of the gum composition; erythritol in an amount from about 5%to about 95% of the gum composition; a moisture binding agent in anamount from about 0.5% to about 10% of the gum composition; and flavorin an amount from about 0.1% to about 10% of the gum composition.

In a second aspect, the invention is a method of making a chewing gumcomposition that has an increased stiffness to improve processabilitycomprising the steps of providing gum base in an amount from about 5% toabout 95% of the gum composition; providing erythritol in an amount fromabout 5% to about 95% of the gum composition; providing a moisturebinding agent in an amount from about 0.5% to about 10% of the gumcomposition; providing flavor in an amount from about 0.1% to about 10%of the gum composition; and combining the gum base, erythritol, moisturebinding agent and flavor to make the gum composition.

The preferred moisture binding agents include polydextrose, dextrins,maltodextrins, indigestible dextrins, gum arabic,fructooligosaccharides, oligofructose, natural gums, natural gumhydrolysates, gelatin, modified starches and cellulose derivatives.Preferably the moisture binding agents are used at a level of from about0.5% to about 5% of the gum composition.

It has been found that gum compositions of the preferred embodiment ofthe invention containing erythritol and a moisture binding agent andhaving about 2% or more moisture have stiffness sufficient that the gumcompositions have improved processability, particularly wrappability.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

All percentages herein are weight percentages unless otherwisespecified. The term "chewing gum" also includes bubble gum and the like.

The present chewing gum compositions contain erythritol, which has beendiscovered to be an excellent replacement for the sugar alcohol usuallyused in sugarless gums, especially those prepared with sorbitol as asweetening/bulking agent.

PCT application Ser. No. PCT/US93/09354, filed Sep. 30, 1993,designating the United States, published as WO 95/08925, is herebyincorporated by reference.

Erythritol is a tetrahydric polyol or sugar alcohol, having theempirical formula C₄ H₁₀ 0₄ and the structural formula CH₂COH--CHOH--CHOH--CH₂ OH. It can be obtained by fermenting glucose withspecially selected yeast strains in appropriate aqueous nutrient media,or by treating an aqueous alkali carbonate solution of 2-buten-1,4-diolwith chlorine and saponifying the resulting chlorohydrin. Erythritol isavailable from Mitsubishi Kasei America, Inc., 81 Main Street, WhitePlains, N.Y. 10601; and from Mitsubishi Kasei Corp., outside the UnitedStates. Erythritol is also available from Cerestar S. A., Brussels,Belgium. As supplied by Mitsubishi, erythritol is a powder with amelting point of about 119° C. It has a sweetness level of about 75% ofthat of sucrose, and has good storage stability Its solubility in waterat room temperature is 40%. Thus, erythritol may be used in a syrupform. Erythritol is not approved for use in human food products orchewing gum in the United States. However, Cerestar is currently seekingregulatory approval in the U.S. and Europe for the use of erythritol asa human food ingredient. Erythritol does not contribute to dentalcaries, does not cause gastric distress, and does not contributesignificantly to caloric intake, giving a highly acceptable gum product.

Erythritol may be added to chewing gum in its solid or syrup form.Erythritol may be used in chewing gum as a texture and flavor modifier,bulking agent, and may improve texture, flavor and shelf lifeproperties. Erythritol may replace solids like sucrose, dextrose,lactose, sorbitol or mannitol when used in its powder form, or mayreplace syrups when used in its liquid or syrup form. At levels of about5% to about 25%, erythritol may replace part of the bulk sweeteners insugar gum or, as a liquid, all or part of the syrup in sugar gum. Athigher levels of about 25% to about 95% of the gum formulation,erythritol may replace all of the bulk sweeteners in a chewing gumformulation.

Unique chewing gum formulations can be obtained when all bulk sweetenersare replaced with erythritol powder and syrup. The relatively lowsweetness intensity allows for use of unique flavor combinations, suchas the use of savory and snack flavors. High-intensity sweeteners may beadded to increase sweetness to obtain more typical chewing gumformulations. Chewing gum formulations with high levels of erythritolwould be softer and less hygroscopic than sugar-containing gumformulations. Chewing gum formulations with erythritol may contain avery low amount of moisture in the gum formulation, i.e., below about2%, or may contain a medium amount of moisture, about 2-5%, and may evenbe a soft gum formulation containing 5% moisture or more. The presentinvention is particularly suited to formulations that have about 2% ormore moisture.

Although erythritol has properties like sucrose, and since it is apolyol, it may be used in chewing gum formulations containing non-sugaringredients. Non-sugar ingredients are polyols such as sorbitol,mannitol, xylitol, hydrogenated isomaltulose, maltitol, lactitol andhydrogenated starch hydrolysate. These polyols are used in a variety ofcombinations to develop unique sugarless chewing gum formulations.Erythritol may be used to replace the individual polyols or combinationsof polyols. With partial replacement of one or more polyols, erythritolcan be used at levels of about 5% to about 25%. If erythritol replaces alarge amount or most of the polyols, this level may be about 25% toabout 95% of the gum formulation.

Some sugar-free chewing gum formulations contain high levels of glycerinand are very low in moisture, i.e., less than about 2%. Erythritol,solids or syrup, may replace part or all of the glycerin used in thesetypes of formulations. At higher moisture levels (more than 2%) insugar-free gum, a liquid solution of sorbitol (70% sorbitol, 30% water)is typically used. Erythritol solids or erythritol syrup may replacepart or all of the sorbitol solution. Sugar-free syrups likehydrogenated starch hydrolysate (HSH), such as Lycasin brand HSH fromRoquette, may also be replaced in part or totally by erythritol solidsor syrup.

In some sugar-free gum formulations, HSH and glycerin are preblended andco-evaporated to reduce moisture. Erythritol solids and/or syrup may beused to replace part or all of the HSH/glycerin blends in such chewinggum formulations. Aqueous erythritol syrup may also replace HSH in thepreblend with glycerin and be co-evaporated with glycerin to obtain alow moisture, non-crystallizable blend. Combinations of erythritolsolids/syrup with polyols like sorbitol, maltitol, xylitol and mannitolin aqueous form may also be blended with glycerin and co-evaporated foruse in low-moisture, sugar-free gum.

In a similar manner, erythritol solids/syrup preblended in glycerin andco-evaporated may be used in conventional sugar chewing gumformulations. Erythritol may be combined with sugars like dextrose,sucrose, lactose, maltose, invert sugar, fructose and corn syrup solidsto form a liquid mix to be blended with glycerin and co-evaporated.Erythritol solids/syrup may also be mixed with conventional syrup andblended with glycerin and co-evaporated for use in a sugar chewing gumformulation.

Erythritol bulk sweetener may be co-dried with a variety of sugars suchas sucrose, dextrose, lactose, fructose and corn syrup solids, and usedin a sugar-containing gum formulation. Erythritol may also be co-driedwith a variety of other polyols, such as sorbitol, mannitol xylitol,maltitol, hydrogenated isomaltulose, lactitol and hydrogenated starchhydrolysate, and used in a sugar-free gum formulation. Co-drying refersto methods of co-crystallization and co-precipitation of erythritol withsugars and other polyols, as well as co-drying by encapsulation,agglomeration and absorption with other sugars and polyols.

Co-drying by encapsulation, agglomeration and absorption can alsoinclude the use of encapsulating and agglomerating agents. Erythritolmay be mixed with sugars or other polyols prior to being co-dried byencapsulation or agglomeration, or may be used alone with theencapsulating and agglomerating agents. These agents modify the physicalproperties of the bulk sweetener and control its release from chewinggum. Since erythritol is highly soluble in water as noted earlier,controlling the release of erythritol modifies the texture and flavor ofthe chewing gum.

Physical modifications of the bulk sweetener by encapsulation withanother substrate will slow its release in chewing gum by reducing thesolubility or dissolution rate. Any standard technique which givespartial or full encapsulation of the bulk sweetener can be used. Thesetechniques include, but are not limited to, spray drying, spraychilling, fluid-bed coating and coacervation. These encapsulationtechniques that give partial encapsulation or full encapsulation can beused individually or in any combination in a single step process ormultiple step process. Generally, delayed release of erythritol isobtained in multistep processes like spray drying the bulk sweetener andthen fluid-bed coating the resultant powder.

The encapsulation techniques here described are standard coatingtechniques and generally give varying degrees of coating from partial tofull coating, depending on the coating composition used in the process.Also, the coating compositions may be susceptible to water permeation tovarious degrees. Generally, compositions that have high organicsolubility, good film-forming properties and low water solubility givebetter delayed release of the bulk sweetener. Such compositions includeacrylic polymers and copolymers, carboxyvinyl polymer, polyamides,polystyrene, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl acetate phthalate, polyvinylpyrrolidone and waxes. Although all of these materials are possible forencapsulation of the bulk sweetener, only food-grade material should beconsidered. Two standard food-grade coating materials that are good filmformers but not water-soluble are shellac and Zein. Others which aremore water soluble, but good film formers, are materials like agar,alginates, a wide range of cellulose derivatives like ethyl cellulose,methyl cellulose, sodium hydroxymethyl cellulose and hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, dextrin, gelatin, and modified starches. These ingredients,which are generally approved for food use, also give a delayed releasewhen used as an encapsulant. Other encapsulants, like acacia ormaltodextrin, can also encapsulate erythritol, but may increase therelease rate of the bulk sweetener.

The amount of coating or encapsulating material on the bulk sweeteneralso controls the length of time for its release from chewing gum.Generally, the higher the level of coating, the slower the release ofthe bulk sweetener during mastication. The release rate is generally notinstantaneous, but gradual over an extended period of time.

Another method of giving a delayed release of the bulk sweetener isagglomeration of the bulk sweetener with an agglomerating agent whichpartially coats the bulk sweeteners. This method includes the step ofmixing the bulk sweetener and agglomerating agent with a small amount ofwater or solvent. The mixture is prepared in such a way as to haveindividual wet particles in contact with each other so that a partialcoating can be applied. After the water or solvent is removed, themixture is ground and used as a powdered, coated bulk sweetener.

Materials that can be used as the agglomerating agent are the same asthose used in encapsulation mentioned previously. However, since thecoating is only a partial encapsulation and the bulk sweetener is watersoluble, some agglomerating agents are more effective in delaying thesweetener release than others. Some of the better agglomerating agentsare the organic polymers like acrylic polymers and copolymers, polyvinylacetate, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, waxes, shellac and Zein. Otheragglomerating agents are not as effective in giving the bulk sweetener adelayed release as are the polymers, waxes, shellac and Zein, but can beused to give some delayed release. These other agglomerating agentsinclude, but are not limited to, agar, alginates, a wide range ofcellulose derivatives like ethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, sodiumhydroxymethyl cellulose and hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, dextrin,gelatin, modified starches, and vegetable gums like guar gum, locustbean gum and carrageenin. Even though the agglomerated bulk sweetener isonly partially coated, when the quantity of coating is increasedcompared to the quantity of the bulk sweetener, the release of the bulksweetener can be delayed for a longer time during mastication.

The bulk sweetener may be coated in a two-step process or multiple-stepprocess. The bulk sweetener may be encapsulated with any of thematerials as described previously and then the encapsulated sweetenercan be agglomerated as described previously to obtain anencapsulated/agglomerated/bulk sweetener product that could be used inchewing gum to give a delayed release of bulk sweetener.

Erythritol sweetener may be absorbed onto another component which isporous and becomes entrapped in the matrix of the porous component.Common materials used for absorbing the bulk sweetener include, but arenot limited to, silicas, silicates, pharmasorb clay, sponge-like beadsor microbeads, amorphous sugars like spray-dried dextrose, sucrose,polyols, amorphous carbonates and hydroxides, including aluminum andcalcium lakes, vegetable gums and other spray dried materials.

Depending on the type of absorbent material and how it is prepared, theamount of bulk sweetener that can be loaded onto the absorbent willvary. Generally materials like polymers, sponge-like beads ormicrobeads, amorphous sugars and polyols and amorphous carbonates andhydroxides absorb about 10% to about 40% of the weight of the absorbent.Other materials like silica and pharmasorb clays may be able to absorbabout 20% to about 80% of the weight of the absorbent.

The general procedure for absorbing the bulk sweetener onto theabsorbent is as follows. An absorbent like fumed silica powder can bemixed in a powder blender and an aqueous solution of the bulk sweetenercan be sprayed onto the powder as mixing continues. The aqueous solutioncan be about 30% to 40% solids, and higher solid levels may be used iftemperatures up to 90° C. are used. Generally water is the solvent, butother solvents like alcohol could also be used if approved for use infood. As the powder mixes, the liquid is sprayed onto the powder.Spraying is stopped before the mix becomes damp. The still free-flowingpowder is removed from the mixer and dried to remove the water or othersolvent, and ground to a specific particle size.

After the bulk sweetener is absorbed onto an absorbent or fixed onto anabsorbent, the fixative/sweetener can be coated by encapsulation. Eitherfull or partial encapsulation may be used, depending on the coatingcomposition used in the process. Full encapsulation may be obtained bycoating with a polymer as in spray drying, spray chilling, fluid-bedcoating, coacervation, or any other standard technique. A partialencapsulation or coating can be obtained by agglomeration of thefixative/sweetener mixture using any of the materials discussed above.

Where the encapsulating or agglomerating agent is also a moisturebinding agent, it is expected that the encapsulating or agglomeratingagent will fulfill the role of absorbing moisture to improve thestiffness of the gum. In that case, the moisture binding agent is coatedonto or agglomerated with the erythritol prior to being mixed into thegum.

Erythritol may be used with other bulk sweeteners and in combinationsthat give unique properties. Erythritol may be co-dried by variousdelayed release methods noted above with other bulk sweeteners likeisomaltulose, sucrose, dextrose, lactose, maltose, fructose, corn syrupsolids, sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, maltitol, hydrogenatedisomaltulose, lactitol and hydrogenated starch hydrolysate for use insugar and sugar-free chewing gum.

In general, a chewing gum composition typically contains a chewable gumbase portion which is essentially free of water and is water-insoluble,a water-soluble bulk portion and flavors which are typically waterinsoluble. The water-soluble portion dissipates with a portion of theflavor over a period of time during chewing. The gum base portion isretained in the mouth throughout the chew.

The insoluble gum base generally comprises elastomers, elastomersolvents, plasticizers, waxes, emulsifiers and inorganic fillers.Plastic polymers, such as polyvinyl acetate, which behave somewhat asplasticizers, are also often included. Other plastic polymers that maybe used include polyvinyl laurate, polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinylpyrrolidone.

Elastomers may include polyisobutylene, butyl rubber,(isobutylene-isoprene copolymer) and styrene butadiene rubber, as wellas natural latexes such as chicle. Elastomer solvents are often resinssuch as terpene resins. Plasticizers, sometimes called softeners, aretypically fats and oils, including tallow, hydrogenated and partiallyhydrogenated vegetable oils, and coca butter. Commonly employed waxesinclude paraffin, microcrystalline and natural waxes such as beeswax andcarnauba. Microcrystalline waxes, especially those with a high degree ofcrystallinity, may be considered bodying agents or textural modifiers.

The gum base typically also includes a filler component. The fillercomponent may be calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, talc, dicalciumphosphate or the like. The filler may constitute between about 5% andabout 60% by weight of the gum base. Preferably, the filler comprisesabout 5% to about 50% of the gum base.

Emulsifiers, which sometimes also have plasticizing properties, includeglycerol monostearate, lecithin and glycerol triacetate. Further, gumbases may also contain optional ingredients such as antioxidants, colorsand flavors.

According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, theinsoluble gum base constitutes between about 5% to about 95% of the gum.More preferably the insoluble gum base comprises between 10% and 50% ofthe gum and most preferably about 20% to about 40% of the gum. Thepresent invention contemplates employing any commercially acceptable gumbase.

The water-soluble portion of the chewing gum may further comprisesofteners, sweeteners, flavoring agents and combinations thereof. Thesweeteners often fulfill the role of bulking agents in the gum. Thebulking agents typically comprise about 5% to about 95% of the gumcomposition. In the present invention, erythritol will be used for allor part of the sweetener/bulking agent. The erythritol will comprisefrom about 5% to about 95%, preferably from about 10% to about 70%, andmost preferable from about 30% to about 60% of the gum composition.

Softeners are added to the chewing gum in order to optimize thechewability and mouth feel of the gum. Softeners, also known in the artas plasticizers or plasticizing agents, generally constitute betweenabout 0.5% to about 15% of the chewing gum. Softeners contemplated bythe present invention include glycerin, lecithin and combinationsthereof. Further, aqueous sweetener solutions such as those containingsorbitol, hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, corn syrup and combinationsthereof may be used as softeners and binding agents in gum.

As mentioned above, the erythritol bulk sweetener of the presentinvention may be used in sugar gum formulations. However, sugar-freeformulations are also within the scope of the invention. Sugarsweeteners generally include saccharide-containing components commonlyknown in the chewing gum art which comprise, but are not limited to,sucrose, dextrose, maltose, dextrin, dried invert sugar, fructose,levulose, galactose, corn syrup solids and the like, alone or in anycombination.

The erythritol sweetener of the present invention can also be used incombination with other sugarless sweeteners. Generally sugarlesssweeteners include components with sweetening characteristics but whichare devoid of the commonly known sugars and comprise, but are notlimited to, sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol,hydrogenated starch hydrolysate, maltitol and the like, alone or in anycombination. Preferably the gum compositions will include from about 5%to about 50% sorbitol. The sorbitol may be provided partly in its liquidsolution form.

Depending on the particular sweetness release profile andshelf-stability needed, the erythritol solid bulk sweetener of thepresent invention can also be used in combination with coated oruncoated high-intensity sweeteners or with high-intensity sweetenerscoated with various materials and by various techniques. High intensitysweeteners, preferably aspartame, may be used at levels from about 0.01%to about 3%.

Flavors contemplated by the present invention include any liquidflavoring which is of food acceptable quality. The flavor may compriseessential oils, synthetic flavors, or mixtures thereof, including butnot limited to oils derived from plants and fruits such as citrus oils,fruit essences, peppermint oil, spearmint oil, clove oil, oil ofwintergreen, anise, and the like. Artificial flavoring components arealso contemplated by the present invention. Those of ordinary skill inthe art will recognize that natural and artificial flavors may becombined in any sensorially acceptable blend. All such flavors andblends are contemplated by the present invention.

Flavors may be present in the chewing gum in an amount within the rangeof from about 0.1% to about 10%, preferably from about 0.5% to about3.0%, of the gum.

Optional ingredients such as colors, emulsifiers and pharmaceuticalagents may also be added as separate components of the chewing gumcomposition, if not added as part of the gum base.

Mannitol can be added directly to the mix, or used as a rollingcompound, i.e., a non-hygroscopic material added in powdered form to thesurface of sticks of gum to prevent the sticks of gum from sticking tomachinery, wrapping papers, and the like.

Other conventional gum ingredients may also be included. Encapsulatedaspartame is a high intensity sweetener with improved stability andrelease characteristics, as compared to free aspartame. Free aspartamecan also be added, and a combination of some free and encapsulatedaspartame is often preferred when aspartame is added.

Aqueous syrups, such as corn syrup and hydrogenated corn syrup may beused. Such aqueous syrups may be coevaporated with a plasticizer, suchas glycerin or propylene glycol, to a moisture content of less than 10%.Such syrups and their methods of preparation are discussed in detail inU.S. Pat. No. 4,671,967, incorporated herein by reference.

A preferred method of manufacturing chewing gum according to the presentinvention is by sequentially adding the various chewing gum ingredientsto any commercially available mixer known in the art. After theingredients have been thoroughly mixed, the gum base is discharged fromthe mixer and shaped into the desired form, such as by rolling intosheets and cutting into sticks, extruding into chunks or casting intopellets.

Generally, the ingredients are mixed by first melting the gum base andadding it to the running mixer. The base may also be melted in the mixeritself. Color or emulsifier may also be added at this time. A softenersuch as glycerin may be added at this time, along with syrup and aportion of the bulking agent. Further portions of erythritol and otherbulking agents may be added to the mixer. Flavor is typically added withthe final portion of the bulking agent. Other optional ingredients areadded in the batch in a typical fashion, well known to those of ordinaryskill in the art. It is conventional to cool the gum prior to wrapping,so as to make the gum more manageable.

By adding moisture binding agents to the gum, water in the gum becomestrapped and the texture of the gum becomes tougher and easier toprocess. There are several moisture binding agents that could be used toentrap the water in gum. Such moisture binding agents includepolydextrose, dextrins, maltodextrins, indigestible dextrins, gumarabic, fructooligosaccharides, oligofructose, natural gums, natural gumhydrolysates, gelatin, modified starches and cellulose derivatives.Water binders such as hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, gum arabic,gelatin, maltodextrin, carboxymethyl cellulose and polydextrose arepreferred.

EXAMPLES

Chewing gum, made with a sorbitol solution containing 70% sorbitol and30% water, was made with various types of moisture binding agents atdifferent percentages on lab scale production equipment. Comparativeformulations were prepared without any moisture binding agents. Taberflexibility studies were run on these samples to determine theirtexture. The Example and Comparative Example formulations and the Taberstiffness results are shown in Tables I and Table II.

                  TABLE I    ______________________________________           Comp.  Comp.   Comp.           Ex. A  Ex. B   Ex. C    Ex. 1                                        Ex. 2 Ex. 3    ______________________________________    Erythritol             60.0     50.0    40.0   59.5 49.5  39.5    Gum Base 30.0     30.0    30.0   30.0 30.0  30.0    Sorbitol 6.0      6.0     6.0    6.0  6.0   6.0    Solution    Mannitol 3.0      3.0     3.0    3.0  3.0   3.0    Sorbitol --       10.0    20.0   --   10.0  20.0    Flavor   1.0      1.0     1.0    1.0  1.0   1.0    HPMC     --       --      --     0.5  --    --    Gum Arabic             --       --      --     --   0.5   --    Maltodextrin             --       --      --     --   --    0.5    Taber Stiffness             28.1     37.6    48.8   24.3 42.9  54.5    ______________________________________

                  TABLE II    ______________________________________           Comp.  Comp.   Comp.           Ex. D  Ex. E   Ex. F    Ex. 4                                        Ex. 5 Ex. 6    ______________________________________    Erythritol             11.0     21.0    31.0   10.0 20.0  30.0    Gum Base 30.0     30.0    30.0   30.0 30.0  30.0    Sorbitol 9.0      9.0     9.0    9.0  9.0   9.0    Solution    Mannitol 3.0      3.0     3.0    3.0  3.0   3.0    Sorbitol 44.0     34.0    24.0   44.0 34.0  24.0    Flavor   1.0      1.0     1.0    1.0  1.0   1.0    Glycerin 2.0      2.0     2.0    2.0  2.0   2.0    CMC      --       --      --     1.0  --    --    Gelatin  --       --      --     --   1.0   --    Polydextrose             --       --      --     --   --    1.0    Taber Stiffness             48.3     45.5    34.2   55.1 44.1  35.3    ______________________________________

The Taber stiffness measured in the Taber flexibility study indicateshow soft the gum is. Low Taber stiffness scores denote high flexibilityand less stiffness, while higher Taber stiffness scores denote highergum stiffness. Gum produced on lab scale production equipment will oftenhave a greater Taber stiffness than gum with the same formulation madeon production scale equipment.

As seen from the results in the Tables, the binders that were mosteffective in creating a tougher gum were gum arabic in Example 2,maltodextrin in Example 3, carboxymethyl cellulose in Example 4 andpolydextrose in Example 6. The hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose and gelatinin Examples 1 and 5 respectively would preferably be used at a higherlevel to provide greater stiffness.

It will be appreciated that the addition of some other ingredients,process steps, materials or components not specifically included willhave an adverse impact on the present invention. The best mode of theinvention may therefore exclude ingredients, process steps, materials orcomponents other than those listed above for inclusion or use in theinvention.

It should be appreciated that the compositions and methods of thepresent invention are capable of being incorporated in the form of avariety of embodiments, only a few of which have been illustrated anddescribed above. The invention may be embodied in other forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or essential characteristics. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrativeand not restrictive, and the scope of the invention, therefore,indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription. All changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

We claim:
 1. A chewing gum composition with increased stiffness toimprove processability comprising:a) gum base in an amount from about 5%to about 95% of the gum composition; b) erythritol in an amount fromabout 10% to about 70% of the gum composition; c) a moisture bindingagent selected from the group consisting of carboxymethyl cellulose, gumarabic, maltodextrins and polydextrose in an amount from about 0.5% toabout 10% of the gum composition; and d) flavor in an amount from about0.1% to about 10% of the gum composition.
 2. The chewing gum compositionof claim 1 containing about 2% or more water.
 3. The chewing gumcomposition of claim 1 wherein the erythritol comprises from about 30%to about 60% of the gum composition.
 4. The chewing gum composition ofclaim 1 further comprising sorbitol in an amount from about 5% to about50% of the gum composition.
 5. The chewing gum composition of claim 1being substantially free of sugars.
 6. The chewing gum composition ofclaim 1 wherein the gum base is present in an amount of from about 10%to about 50% of the gum composition and the gum contains more than 2%moisture.
 7. A method of making a chewing gum composition that has anincreased stiffness to improve processability comprising the steps of:a)providing gum base in an amount from about 5% to about 95% of the gumcomposition; b) providing erythritol in an amount from about 10% toabout 70% of the gum composition; c) providing a moisture binding agentselected from the group consisting of carboxymethyl cellulose, gumarabic, maltodextrins and polydextrose in an amount from about 0.5% toabout 10% of the gum composition; d) providing flavor in an amount fromabout 0.1% to about 10% of the gum composition; and e) combining the gumbase, erythritol, moisture binding agent and flavor to make the gumcomposition.
 8. The method of claim 7 wherein the composition whencombined contains about 2% or more water.
 9. The method of claim 7further comprising the step of providing sorbitol in an amount fromabout 5% to about 50% of the gum composition and combining the sorbitolwith the gum base, erythritol, moisture binding agent and flavor whilemaking the gum composition.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein thesorbitol is provided at least partly in syrup form.
 11. The method ofclaim 7 wherein the erythritol comprises from about 30% to about 60% ofthe gum composition.
 12. The method of claim 8 wherein the moisturebinding agent is coated onto or agglomerated with the erythritol priorto mixing the erythritol and moisture binding agent with the gum base.13. A chewing gum composition comprising:a) gum base in an amount offrom about 20% to about 40% of the gum composition; b) erythritol in anamount from about 30% to about 60% of the gum composition; c) aflavoring in an amount from about 0.5% to about 3% of the gumcomposition; d) water in an amount from about 2% to about 5% of the gumcomposition; and e) a moisture binding agent selected from the groupconsisting of carboxymethyl cellulose, gum arabic, maltodextrins andpolydextrose in an amount from about 0.5% to about 5% of the gumcomposition.